Means for determining the weight of fuel carried by a locomotive-tender.



L. S. WATRES. MEANS FORDETERMINING THE WEIGHT 0r FUEl CARRIED BY A LOCOMOTIVE TENDER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY I6, 1913 Patented Apr. 20, 1915.

2 snsms--snnm 1.

L. S. WATRES MEANS FOR DETERMINING THE WEIGHT 0F FUEL CARRIED BY A LOCOMOTIVE TENDER. APPLICATION FILED MAY 16, 1 9l3.

1,136,633, Patented Apr. 20, 1915.

2 sanms snnm 2.

- rrnn STATES PATENT O LEWIS S. NATE-ES, DI? SCBANTON, .PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF FORTY ONE- HUNDREDTHS T0 CLARENCE D. SIMPSON AND TWENTY ONE-HUNDREDTHS TO HENRY BRADY. BOTH OF SCRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

MEANS FOR DETERMINING THE \VEIGHT 0F FUEL CARRIED BY A LOCOMOTIVE-TENDER.

Application filed May 16, 1913.

T 0 all whom. it mug} concern.

Be it known that I, Lewis S. l/VA'rnns, a citizen of the United States of America, residing in Scranton, county of Lackawanna, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful improved Means for Determining the Weight of Fuel Carried by a Locomotive-Tender, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide a means whereby the weight of fuel carried by a tender may be determined, for instance, at the beginning,of a run and a ain at the conclusion thereof;

The embodiment of the invention hereafter described and illustrated in the drawings is, by means of a special fuel container located in the tender, free to move vertically therein, and the actuating parts of a Weight indicating closed liquid system placed between the tender and fuel container, where by the fuel container is supported.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section through the body of a locomotive tender omitting the running gear and showing a means of indicating the weight of the fuel. and a specia container therefor: Fig. 2, a front elevation thereof partly broken away: Fig. 3, a detailed cross section showing a diaphragm for supporting the fuel container: Fig. 4, a side elevation partly in section showing the sills of the body of the tender and their means of support on the truck bolsters: Fig. 5, a plan view of one such truck: and Fig. 6, a sectional detail view, somewhat dia- 1 grammatic, illustrating the operation of the weight indicating devices.

In Fig. 1, the interior of the body of the tender is divided to form a water tank 1, which, in this instance is shown as extending to the top .of the tender body at the rear and from thence downwardly and forwardly at an angle as at and then hori zontally as at 3. A horizontal step or shoulder 4 is formed in the inclined wall 2 ad jacent its upper part. lVithin the chamber thus formed is a coal container 5 which has vertical sides fitting within the side walls of the tender and a horizontal floor 3 and upwardly inclined wall 7 conforming generally to the slope of the parts 2, 3, of the wall oi the water tank. 8 indicates the ordinary doors forming a closure at tle front end of Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 20, 1915.

Serial No. 767,997.

the coal container. The container with fuel therein is carried upon a system of weighing devices, a preferred form of which is shown in Figs. 1 and 3. This system is one in which the container is carried upon diaphragms of which there may be three; one at the top located midway between the side walls of the body, and two at the bottom located at the respective front corners of the container. The construction of each is shown in the sectional view Fig. 3. To the under side or floor 6, or 7, there is acured a short post 9 securely united at its h wer end to the center of a corrugated diaphragm 10 opposite which, being with a suitable space between them, is a similar corrugated diaphragm 11. These circular diaphragms are spaced apart by a ring 12 adjacent their peripheries through which pass any suitable number of securing bolts 13. Integrally united with or secured to the bottom of the lower diaphragm 11 is a circular plate or hub 14 from which extends centrally a screw bolt 15 that passes through an aperture in the wall 3, or 2, of the water tank and is secured by a nut 16. The space between the diaphragms 10, 11, of the upper central suporting diaphragm system 17 is connect'd y a pipe 18 with space between the Cl1- phragms of one of the lower diaphragm sr pporting systems 19, which latter space is connected by pipe 20 with the space between the diaphragms of the other lower diaphragm supporting system; and from the space between the diaphragms of one of the lower supporting systems, (the drawing indicating the system 19) there extends a pipe 21 to the lower side of a age or indicating diaphragm which divides horizontally a suitable casing 20 from the upper side of which extends a gage tube 21 supported vertically against a plate 252 secured to the side of the tender and inscribed with a scale 23. The closed system comprising pipe 21, 20 and 18 and the spaces between the.pairs of diap'hragms of the three dia )hragm supporting systems is completely filled with a liquid, preferably non-freezing. The liquid nay be mercury, alcohol, kerosene, etc. The diaphragms are annularly corrugated and susceptible of elastic vibration and they are best made of steel of appropriate thickness and of such diameter as is desirable considering the load that they are to carry. In the space above the diaphragm in the gage case is placed a suitable liquid which will rise in the tube 21 upon contraction of the chamber above the diaphragm .lae to pressure exerted under said diaphragm by the load on the diaphragms of the vsiqiport ng devices. This liquid will, of course. be nonvolatile if the upper end of tube ill be cp -u to the atmosphere. The scale of the indr cating tube may be calibrated to conform to the conditions of its special container and be made to indicate the weight of file onlv. 'hen the container is full the diaph.- yield transferring pressure to the non ,anprcssihhliquid medium by which it is trans, ferred to the indicating gage diaphragm thereby forcing any suitable liquid 2ll)i)' it up into the gage-tube from which a reading may be taken. As the quantity of fuel de creases, the pressure upon the supporting diaphragm system is reduced.

The modification of Figs. l, 5 and 6, which forms the subject of another application for Letters Patent tiled by me November 7,1913, ier. Xo. 799,755, consists in dividing the king bolts of the trucks and inter-posing diaphragms. the spaces between which are filled with liquid and connected up in the general manner abore described. The body bolsters 2i hare the usual seats 25 for the king bolts as also ha \'c the truck bolsters 2G. The king bolt is composed of upper and lower sections 28, :29 each respectively integrally, or otherwise suitably connected with, corrugated diaphragms 30, 31. The general scheme is plainly disclosed in Figs. 4: and 6. In the latter figure there is the before described arrangement of the recording diaphragm constituting the end of the compressed liquid system. 21 is the gage tube which is connected with an upper wall of the gage diaphragm by a flexible or elastic connection or tubing 32.

Fig. 5 shows the plan of an ordinary truck. Since the truck swings with refer ence to the car body, the pipe 32 (Fig. 4) leading from the rear king bolt diaphragm suspension comprises a hinge section 33 from whence the pipe is continued to the dia phragnfsuspension of the forward truck and thence by hinge connection 31; to the gage scale. In this latter modification, the gage may be calibrated so as to indicate only the fuel weights, orit may indicate total Weights.

While I have shown both diaphragms of each pair corrugated and deem that arrangement to be most eflicient, it is not in fact necessary. The corrugations are employed to increase the capacity of the diaphragm for ('OmPI'QSSlOH and reaction. In both modifications shown, the load is carried by the liq id under pressure.

While the system of support shown in the dr win-1 is hydraulic. the invention broadly ci nsidr ed is deemed to comprise other support or suspension by which bed results may be obtained.

l. The combination with a locomotive ten- .ler b-vdv of a fuel container located therein as an independent lining thereto and adaptc(l ti more vertically relative to the tender boil yielding liquid containers comprising (llii: "iglll heads connected to the fuel c0n tan or and tender body a gage attached to tla Lender body and a pipe connecting the ,Ia; e u ah the liquid containers whereby veril al relation of the fuel container to the twiilea' body will cause the weight of fuel to b indiraied on the gage.

2. A locomotlYG tender comprisinga Water tank, a coal container, a closed liquid system comprising a diaphragm supporting means carrying the weight of the container and its contents, and a gage forming part of said closed system whereby variations of pres sure imposed upon the confined liquid by variations of amount of fuel in said container may be made to operate an indicating gage.

3. A locomotive tender comprisinga water tank, a coal container, a closed liquid system comprising a diaphragm supporting means carrying the weight of the container and its contents, and a gage consisting of a casing divided by a diaphragm one chamber of which is connected to the diaphragm supports forming part of said closed system- 

